Be Informed

Vitality & Virility: Hormones Are Key

Men: Keep that youthful, vital and virile feeling through mid-life

Men are not immune to midlife changes. They too experience the so-called change of life as a result of declining hormones, specifically low testosterone, which is commonly seen beginning in the fourth decade of life. This is often associated with symptoms of aging in males referred to as "Andropause", named after the androgens, the medical name for male hormones. This is the counterpart to menopause in women when ovarian production of estrogens and progesterone begin to decline. But for men, it is a more gradual process than the rollercoaster many women experience during menopause.

Andropausal men may first notice a subtle loss of libido, along with a downward shift in strength and energy. Depression, burnout, the feeling of being tired but wired, and a persistent lack of stamina, are also common symptoms as the predominant male hormones, testosterone, and DHEA, decline with age. These are important anabolic hormones in men because they maintain both physical and mental health. For example, they increase energy and decrease fatigue. They help maintain erectile function and normal sex drive, and very significantly, increase the strength of all structural tissues: the skin, the bones, the muscles, including the heart.

Proper androgen levels also help prevent depression and mental fatigue. Needless to say, a deficiency of these hormones will most likely have a significant impact on both physical and mental male health. Stress management, exercise, proper nutrition, hormone testing, and androgen replacement therapy with physician guidance, can be beneficial to counter andropause symptoms.

If you are experiencing andropausal symptoms, our His Advanced Plus Profile can identify and monitor for estrogen dominance, hypogonadism, fatigue, low libido, erectile dysfunction (ED), infertility, osteoporosis screening and adrenal dysfunction as well as Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) and thyroid. Saliva and dried blood spot testing are convenient, inexpensive, and above all, accurate means of testing steroid hormones. Vitality has nothing to do with Age!